Littlest Blue Moon 2005

John Chamberlain made this little sculpture called Littlest Blue Moon out of painted metal, and it feels like a party in a can. It's this burst of color and form, just a real 'what-is-it?' kind of thing. The way Chamberlain uses color here, these bright blues and greens, butted up against oranges and yellows, feels like he's not just painting the metal but sort of exploding it from the inside. Look at the way the metal ribbons are bent and twisted, the way the paint pools in the crevices and catches on the edges. It's all about the physicality of the material, that tension between control and letting go. And those little cylinders that hold the whole thing up? Each one is a micro-painting, each one a separate little story within the larger sculpture. In a way, he reminds me of Stella. Both are all about this idea of art as an open-ended conversation, a playground for ideas.